He Is…
Month: April 2021
Quote for the Day
When we know who He made us to be, we’ll never want to be anyone else. He has wrapped up His significance in the destiny of every person He called to Himself for salvation. Bill Johnson
A new commandment
Ephesians 4:18
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:18. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au
Ephesians 4:18
“They[ the Gentiles] are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.”
Paul here is scathing in his description of the state of unredeemed Gentiles. He goes on to make it clear that he is not talking about the Ephesian christians because they have clearly accepted the gospel.
The unsaved Gentiles are darkened in their understanding.
Before any person comes to know Jesus, they are living in a state of spiritual darkness. Satan has blinded them to the truth because they are living under deception. They cannot see the truth because they are blind and in the dark.
Even when such people make an intellectual assent to the gospel, it lacks the power to change them because they are in the dark. It takes a revelation, a special act of God, to heal their spiritual blindness.
This darkness of understanding extends to areas other than spiritual. It includes lack of wisdom (or foolishness) in daily living. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God,” (Psalm 14:1) and lives in the belief that he or she is God and able to determine their own life. The academics and elite leaders multiply this foolishness by promoting and endorsing it.
This darkness and understanding extends to scientific realms also. The presuppositions and biases in various fields are based on human wisdom, not on the understanding that God created all things and sustains them. They think that it all just came into existence, and ignore the signs that there is a creator.
They are separated from the life of God.
The word “separated” here can also mean “alienated”. They are not just cut off spatially from the life of God, but also relationally. They are not just removed from God, they are opposed to Him.
To be separated from the life of God means that they are far away from the source of life. They are effectively living as zombies, the walking dead.
Those who have not been born again, that is born of the Spirit, are living partial lives, lives that are less than what God intended for us. The way to experience true life, life in all its fullness, is to be connected to the source of life, that is God.
To do this we must receive Jesus, who is the Life. It is our rebellion against God that alienates us from Him. When we come to Jesus and confess our sins to Him, then we are forgiven and receive eternal life.
This darkness of their minds and separation from the life of God is due to the ignorance that is in them.
Ignorance is not a lack of knowledge, although that is tragic in itself. If that were the problem, then it would be silly to describe the minds of Gentiles as having ignorance in them. It is impossible to have a negative quality existing in itself. It is like saying a room is full of darkness.
Ignorance can be manifest as a characteristic. Here it is akin to foolishness. Lack of knowledge about God leads to a certain way of thinking that opposes itself to God, perhaps promoting idolatry instead.
The unbelieving Gentiles, then, are ignorant about God, and this leads to alienation from Him and darkness of thinking.
This ignorance is not due to lack of information, but is caused by the hardening of their hearts.
Paul says in Romans 1 that the glory of God is seen in creation, and so when people worship the creation rather than the Creator they are without excuse. That they do this is because their hearts are hardened.
Are they has hardened by their own indifference or by Satan? We cannot say for sure, although it is possibly both.
When we sin it causes a hardening in our hearts. We quieten the conscience that condemns us because we do not want to feel guilty or even admit that we are at fault. While God desires a soft heart, our history of sin makes us hardhearted and progressively more so.
It is only Christ who can rescue us from this cycle of sin, guilt, and ever hardening heart.
So Paul says that those who are not saved (“the Gentiles”) are hardhearted because of their sin. This leads to ignorance and indifference to God, which in turn causes them to be alienated from his life and darken in their understanding.
This self-sustaining process is the reason why we need a Saviour. We could never escape from this fate by ourselves. Praise God that he has provided the way to eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Key points in this verse:
- Unredeemed Gentiles are darkened in their understanding
- Satan has blinded their spiritual eyes
- They are alienated from God and the life He brings so they live zombie-like lives
- Ignorance of of God is due to the hardening of their hearts
- Only Jesus can rescue is from this cycle of sin and death
Facebook’s Advertising Policy
There is no doubt that Facebook is a very sick organisation. Its business model of spying on its users (of all ages) and then using that information is seriously flawed. I am glad that I got off facebook and use mewe.com and xapit.com instead.
From news.com.au
Lobby group Reset Australia ‘floored’ by Facebook advertising loophole for teens
An investigation has exposed an alarming loophole on Facebook that gives advertisers the opportunity to do something very disturbing.
NCA NewsWireAPRIL 28, 202112:13PM
Advertisers looking to take advantage of young people on Facebook with harmful content such as extreme weight loss can reach 1000 teenagers for less than it costs to fill up a car.
That is one of the alarming takeaways from a report that has laid bare how easy it is to target people aged between 13 and 17 with ads relating to extreme weight loss, gambling and dating wealthy men.
Reset Australia – a lobby group monitoring digital threats to democracy – recently released a report titled Profiling Children for Advertising: Facebook’s Monetisation of Young People’s Personal Data.
It has also released a 47-second video showing how easy it was to target the harmful ads toward young people.
The report has exposed the alarming loophole.Source:News Regional Media
“This sort of profiling is part of Facebook’s day-to-day business model,” the report read.
“Reaching a thousand young people profiled as interested in alcohol will cost advertisers around $3.03, $38.46 for those interested in extreme weight loss, or $127.88 to those profiled as interested in smoking.”
The organisation developed a ‘dubious ads’ campaign and was able to get approval for ads that “reinforced body image ideals, set to be delivered to those profiled as 13-17 years old and interested in extreme weight loss”.
The report said one ad encouraged young girls to connect and chat with wealthy men.
It was set to be delivered to those profiled as female, 13-17 years old, single and interested in online dating services.
Another ad which reached the approval stage encouraged people to “win prizes in mobile-game-style gambling,” which was set to be delivered to those profiled as 13-17 and interested in gambling.
Facebook rejected two of its ads featuring regular cigarettes, but when it resubmitted the ads displaying electronic cigarettes, they were approved. Picture: supplied Reset AustraliaSource:Supplied
Smoking and dating were among ‘dubious ads’ that Reset Australia got approved to run on Facebook. Picture: supplied Reset AustraliaSource:Supplied
Reset Australia executive director Chris Cooper said it was wrong Facebook knew young people were interested in weight loss at all, let alone advertising for it.
“Extreme weight loss was the most concerning (outcome of the report),” Mr Cooper told NCA NewsWire.
“It is obviously inappropriate to advertise to young people about alcohol, tobacco and gambling but at least the ads are more controlled and restricted.
“However, with weight loss there is very little control around it. The fact Facebook knows young people are interested in extreme weight loss is concerning, and then selling access to the relevant profiles. It floored us to be honest.”
Reset Australia got the ads approved but did not run them.
Mr Cooper also said the aim of the report was not the ads or advertising standards, rather the surveillance of young people.
“The really important thing here is we should be concerned not just about content of these ads but more the surveillance and tracking of teens,” he said.
In a statement provided to NCA NewsWire, a Facebook spokesman said ads were reviewed by software and staff.
“Keeping young people safe across Facebook and Instagram is vital,” a spokesman said.
“We have significant measures in place to review all ads before and after they run, including automated systems and human reviewers.
“Anyone advertising on our platforms must comply with our policies along with all local laws and codes, such as those restricting the advertising of alcohol to minors in Australia.
“Facebook does not sell your information. Instead, advertisers and other partners pay Facebook to show personalised advertisements to people on the Facebook company apps and technologies.”
Reset Australia is urging the federal government to follow the UK and Ireland in moving to prevent the trade of teenager‘s data.
“The UK has passed the Age Appropriate Design Code which gives young people the maximum level of privacy protections and Ireland has passed a very similar code,” Mr Cooper said.
The Australian government is conducting a privacy review which is examining traditional media as well data use by tech companies.
Reflection on Matthew 13:16-30
Scripture
“Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat into the barn.”
Observation
Jesus explains the meaning of the parable about the sower and the different kinds of soils.
He goes on then to give another parable. A farmer plants good seed in his field, but an enemy comes at night and plants weeds. When his workers report this, he instructs them to let the weeds and wheat grow together. He will instruct the harvesters to separate the wheat from the weeds. The wheat will be put into the barn, but the weeds will be tied up and thrown into the fire.
Application
It was not unheard of for someone to contaminate a sown field with a weed such as bearded darnel which closely resembles wheat and cannot be distinguished until both plants are mature. It seems like a very determined and premeditated form of vandalism.
We need to be aware that our enemy is sowing things into our lives to distract us or even remove us from the kingdom.
In the previous parable, Jesus explained that the weeds were the cares of the world which choke out spiritual growth or which lure us away from God’s will.
Satan plants these weeds in our lives in the form of financial and relational pressures, temptations, people who distract us from God’s kingdom, and so on.
We must always be on our guard against satan’s distractions without becoming guilty of ascribing everything in our lives to the devil.
Just as farm workers needed discernment to tell the difference between wheat and weeds, we need spiritual discernment to tell whether people in our lives have been placed there by God or by satan, whether they are opportunities for the Kingdom or distractions.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, please show me how to react to different people in my life. Grant me discernment, Lord to know whether you are stretching me or satan is assaulting me. Amen.
Hardship
Quote for the Day
My conclusion was that Kingdom-oriented people can influence their surroundings to the point that residents, including those who will not believe our message, will still live under the influence of the Kingdom of God displayed in a region. Bill Johnson
Reflection on Matthew 13:1-16
Scripture
He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not.”
Observation
Jesus sits beside the lake, where a large crowd gathers around Him.
Jesus tells the story of the sower. A farmer sows seed, scattering them around the field. Some falls on the hard soil of the path, and birds come and eat them. Some seeds fall on to shallow soil, where the seeds germinate quickly but then wither in the heat. Others fall among weeds where they are choked by thorns and thistles. But other seeds fall on fertile soil and they produce a crop of up to 100 times the planted seeds.
The disciples ask Jesus why He uses parables. He replies that those who listen to His teaching are given more understanding, but those who are not listening will lose the little understanding they have.
Application
If we pursue Jesus with all our heart, we will receive understanding. Some people are permitted to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but because they are passionate to serve Jesus, not because they are smart.
Biblical knowledge will only get you so far in God’s kingdom. To move into the deeper things, the “secrets”, you must spend time with the Lord.
Listening prayer gives us God’s insights into the specifics of living for God. Reading the Scriptures while listening to the Holy Spirit will also increase our insight.
Bible College is good, but how much better is it to develop our relationship with the Most High God.
Prayer
Thank you, Father, for the awesome privilege of being your child. Thank you for opening the secrets of the Kingdom to those who pursue you. Please help me to make fellowship with you my highest priority. Amen.
Change The World!
New Life Narrabri 